NO. 2-seed LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN (18-2, 15-1 LSC)
vs. NO. 1-seed WEST TEXAS A&M (16-2, 10-2 LSC)
Tuesday, March 16 – 7 PM
Rip Griffin Center (Lubbock, Texas)
All-Time Series: WT leads 20-7
 
THIS IS MARCH
Tuesday night's South Central Regional final against West Texas A&M will be the third game Lubbock Christian University has played this March, going 1-1 in those contests. The win came on Sunday, when the Chaps took down Oklahoma Baptist 79-55 in the regional semifinal. LCU gets to host the title game at the Rip Griffin Center despite being the No. 2 seed and WT the No. 1 seed after earning the bid for the regional earlier this spring. The Chaps and Buffs will be meeting for the third time this year after splitting a home-and-home (road team won both games) to end the regular season.
 
LCU AT THE REGIONAL
Lubbock Christian is 3-2 all time in the NCAA Tournament, but they will be playing in the regional final for the first time ever come Tuesday night. In all three of LCU's tournament appearances, they have won the first game they have played, upsetting No. 1-seeded Midwestern State in 2016 and No. 3-seeded Colorado School of Mines in 2018. So far though, the Chaps have never won a second game in NCAA Tournament play and will be looking to change that trend Tuesday night.
 
SHARING IS CARING
Lubbock Christian has gone through the 2020-21 season passing the ball better than any other team in NCAA Division II, ranking No. 1 in assist to turnover ratio (1.83) and No. 4 in assists per game (18.3). The Chaps have only turned the ball over more than 15 times in a game twice during the season, including a season-low two turnovers on Sunday against OBU. Overall, they turn the ball over just 10.0 times per game, which is the lowest mark in the LSC and ranks No. 10 nationally. Cameron Copley is a big part of the assists total, ranking No. 2 in the conference and No. 18 nationally with 5.4 assists per game, but Rowan Mackenzie (2.9) and Daniels (2.8) are also averaging multiple assists per contest.
 
SHARP SHOOTING CHAPS
In the win against Oklahoma Baptist, LCU once again shot over 50 percent from the field, doing so for the 13^th time in 20 games this season.  The Chaparrals are one of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation, ranking No. 5 among NCAA Division II schools in field goal percentage (52.2 percent) and No. 1 in three-point field-goal percentage (43.7 percent). Both and Lloyd Daniels (No. 3) and Parker Hicks (No. 5) rank in the top ten in the LSC in field goal percentage, with marks of 59.1 percent and 53.3 percent, respectively. Gonzalo Corbalan has also shot an extremely efficient 63.2 percent from the field, but his 87 field goals attempted do not qualify him for the conference leaderboard. In their last meeting with the Buffs, the Chaps shot a season-high 62.5 percent from the field.
 
LONE STAR ROYALTY
When the Lone Star Conference postseason awards were announced last week, seven members of the Lubbock Christian basketball program were honored, including Player of the Year Parker Hicks and Coach of the Year Todd Duncan. Hicks' 16.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game also earned him a spot on the All-Conference First Team, along with Lloyd Daniels. Cameron Copley and Rowan Mackenzie were named to the All-LSC Third Team, and Ty Caswell made it on the All-Academic Team for his performance both on the court and in the classroom. The last Chap honored was Aamer Muhammad, who was named the league's Sixth Man of the Year.
 
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Although they won't technically be the home team (higher seed is the home team), Lubbock Christian will be playing their 11^th game this season at the Rip Griffin Center, where they are 8-2. On average, they have been great at "The Rip," scoring 81.8 points per game and allowing only 59.8. They shoot 51.8 percent on their home floor, with Hicks (15.2) and Daniels (16.7) averaging double figures there. LCU has a history of success on their home court, going 109-26 (.803) there under head coach Todd Duncan, and their two home losses this season have been by a combined five points.
 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Even with one of the top shooting offenses in the nation, Lubbock Christian has played lockdown defense this season, limiting opponents to just 63.8 points per game, which is the ninth-best mark in all of Division II. Opponents shoot just 42.1 percent from the field against LCU, which was the second-best mark in the Lone Star Conference this year. In Sunday's semifinal, the Chaps held Oklahoma Baptist to 55 points and 34.5 percent shooting.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS

• This is WT's fourth straight appearance in the South Central Regional Championship game (not including last year when the tournament was canceled), and they were the winners in both 2018 and 2019
• The Buffs also had two First Team All-Lone Star Conference players in Joel Murray and Qua Grant, with Grant earning the honor for the third-straight season
• Although Lubbock Christian stopped their streak of consecutive LSC Titles, West Texas A&M did win their fourth-straight LSC Tournament, beating St. Edward's 108-89
• The Buffs have had one of the best offenses in the nation this season, averaging 91.1 points per game. Much of that offense comes from Murray and Grant, who average 23.4 and 21.5 points per game, respectively
• WT also ranked No. 3 in the nation in turnover margin this season, forcing 18 per game while only averaging 11.2 themselves. Grant averages 2.1 steals per game and Murray 1.9.

 
THE SERIES WITH THE BUFFS
Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M first met in 1978 and the Buffs went on to claim nine more wins before LCU finally got a win over them in 2002. With that early 10-0 advantage, WT leads the all-time series 20-7. Since Lubbock Christian transitioned to NCAA Division II status with the 2013-14 season though, the series has been much more even, with WT leading 6-5. The two teams split during the regular season this year, as WT won 72-67 at the Rip Griffin Center on Feb. 25 and LCU returned the favor by beating the Buffs 103-85 in Canyon two days later.